Dark Horse (On Hold)

Chapter 3

I stared helplessly at the empty space where Caleb once was; there was no trace of him at all. I slowly walked over to the discloloured patch of grass, squeezing his satchel tightly to my green-plated chest. Looking down to where he was trapped, I could see miniscule specks of black in the blades of grass. Whatever that being was, it wasn't natural. Or nothing I had ever seen before. I felt the satchel tremoring like it did for Caleb. Opening it up, I noticed the relic was glowing again. As it began to glow, the little black specks on the grass beamed.

Something told me that whatever that being was, it may have chased Caleb because of the relic he was carrying. But what was the link between the relic and that...thing? I had to find out the answer and find out where Caleb was taken to. I was almost positive that he wasn't dead. I had to continue to the Karator Lands and find out where Caleb originally found the relic. Even though I was told I was an admirable tracker, it would be very troublesome to find out where the relic was originally found. I could only hope that the relic would give me some sort of clue when I reached the woods.

I decided to walk back towards the path. Whatever we both felt had withdrawn along with Caleb. I flung his satchel onto my leafed shoulder pad; it was relatively heavy considering all I had seen in his bag was the relic. Although I wouldn't dare look into a mercenary's satchel. Firstly, because it was his privacy and secondly I personally wouldn't want to even know what was in there.

I continued to wander down the pathway and, eventually, came across the part of the pathway that splits off into two directions. A cracked, wooden sign pointed in the two different directions, stating where they would lead.

If memory served, the way to get the Karator lands was to first cross the Boarderlands which split each lands up. It would be a long and dangerous journey crossing the Boarderlands, mainly due to the thousands of wars that occurred over those lands which caused the deaths of many unfortunate soldiers. Rumours said that the lands were cursed, and at every emerald moon the dead would rise. Luckily the only moon that would show during the night at the time was the Blood Moon, although that didn't sound pleasant, it literally just meant a red moon. But someone obviously wanted to be fancy.

I felt worry pour all over me as soon as I realised how dangerous the path would be. I knew that this quest wasn't originally mine but I had no choice. I had to carry on. It's what Caleb would've wanted, even if he was a guy I had only just met.

I took the left pathway, carrying on the journey towards the Boarderlands. After a few more hours of nothing but endless strolling, I decided it would be a good idea to build a fire before the night settled in. I saw that the moon was slowly starting to rise and realised I would be more at risk of being attacked by creatures that came out during the night. Luckily, building a campfire could sometimes sort that problem.

The environment seemed a little more dried out the more I got closer to the Boarderlands. Where I was at the time showed nothing but wilted flowers and trees that were slowly dying. It definitely looked like a depressing scene. I took some branches that had fallen to the floor and placed them near the pathway, at least if I were to get attacked I would still be able to have a quick get away. Reaching for a couple of dry pebbles I could only hope that they would create a spark that could start a roaring flame. It took a few tries and a few tiny sparks to create the flame, but eventually I was able to create the campfire. I made sure I had enough sticks to keep the flame alive. Resting the bag on the floor I reached in for the relic and took it out, curiosity getting the better of me.

"What exactly...are you?" I asked the relic whilst closely inspecting it. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes upon. The diamond on top was so pristine and so carefully crafted and the relic itself seemed to give off some kind of unsettled aura. I stared at the relic as it could almost reflect my green, elven armour, wondering with deep thought what was so special about it.